Project Overview
The city of Worcester, Massachusetts, is rapidly developing its Canal District with additions of shopping, dining, and entertainment. Polar Park is the anchor of this 18-acre redevelopment and home of the Worcester Red Sox, a Minor League Baseball team, and an affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. A parking structure was required to accommodate the area's growth and daily influx of visitors.
Dailey Precast, LLC manufactured the precast concrete for the new Canal District Ballpark Garage. The new garage is a 110,100 square-foot parking structure that features three elevated levels that are two bays wide with parking for approximately 350 cars. Developing a parking solution was critical and an immediate need to support the ongoing redevelopment of the Canal District. To satisfy the district's parking requirements as quickly as possible, the precast concrete elements for the garage were erected in only 26 days.
Precast Solution
The structure is a free-standing total precast concrete parking garage that features a combination of form liner patterns with light grey and dark grey concrete. The light and dark grey concrete creates visual intrigue while also giving the precast garage a modern appearance. The total precast concrete system limited the need to incorporate unnecessary materials and trades while combining architectural and structural efficiencies. Additionally, since the precast concrete was manufactured in a controlled environment, it ensures consistent quality in the production of precast concrete elements for the project.
The garage has three elevated levels for visitors to navigate. There is a total precast stair tower at one end of the garage and a feature stair/elevator tower at the opposite end, allowing visitors to enter and exit the garage on either side. Utilizing precast concrete for the stairs in the garage resulted in a highly durable system that will require minimal maintenance for years to come.
The garage is located on a very compact site, which provided several obstacles for the design team. The slope of the site and existing subsurface foundations were challenges that the design team overcame by changing the garage layout to accommodate the on-site constraints. Utilizing precast concrete for this project allowed for careful planning and scheduling between Dailey Precast and Gilbane/Hunt to ensure a continuous flow of precast deliveries. Additionally, prefabricating the materials off-site eliminated the need for additional trades on-site, resulting in limited disruption to the busy district.
Choosing to construct a total precast concrete structure ensures that the busy parking garage can sustain daily use and significant vehicle loads. The total precast parking structure provides additional benefits like weather/fire resistance and minimal maintenance, resulting in cost savings over the structure's lifetime. |